Roger Federer suffered one of his worst defeats at Wimbledon, going down in straight sets to Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, July 7, 2021.
Aiming for a record-equalling ninth Wimbledon title, Federer -- a month and a day short of his 40th birthday -- suffered a heart-breaking 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-0 loss following a stupendous display by the 6' 5" tall Pole.
Never before had Federer been wiped out in a set at Wimbledon.
Harish Kotian/Rediff.com looks at Federer's worst five Grand Slam losses:
2008 French Open: Federer hammered by Nadal
Rafael Nadal produced a flawless exhibition to demolish then world number one Roger Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 in the 2008 final and win his fourth straight French Open crown.
Nadal tore Federer, apart in an hour and 48 minutes, denying the Swiss ace a career Grand Slam and in the process equalled Bjorn Borg's feat of four consecutive titles at Roland Garros.
It was the first time that Federer had lost a set to love since the first round of the Queen's Club tournament in London in 1999, against Zimbabwean Byron Black.
It was the shortest French Open men's final in terms of games played since 1977 and the quickest final, at 108 minutes, since 1980.
2013 Wimbledon: Stakhovsky shocks Federer
Defending champion Federer's remarkable run of reaching 36 consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals ended in a shock second-round Wimbledon defeat by unheralded Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky.
Federer's 6-7, 7-6, 7-5, 7-6 loss stunned spectators at the All-England Club as it ended his remarkable record at the Slams.
Stakhovsky, ranked a lowly 116th, launched outrageous winners to bring Federer to his knees and condemn the Swiss to his earliest Wimbledon exit since a first-round loss in 2002.
'When you play Roger Federer at Wimbledon, it's like you're playing two players. First you play Roger Federer and then you play his ego,' Stakhovsky said after his most famous win.
2014 US Open: When Cilic handed Federer a tennis lesson
Marin Cilic hammered Roger Federer 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to reach his first Grand Slam final at the 2014 US Open.
Croatian 14th seed Cilic looked in the mood to correct his record against Federer, having lost all their five previous meetings. He went on the attack from the outset with his booming service game and heavy groundstrokes which Federer struggled to cope with.
Cilic, who smashed 43 winners including 13 aces, rocked Federer early as he broke in the fourth game of the match before serving out the first set 6-3.
He then broke Federer in the first game of the second set to continue his domination as he clinched the second set.
Federer, who bounced back from a two-sets deficit to beat France's Gael Monfils in the quarter-finals, showed signs of coming back as he broke to lead 2-0 in the third set. But there was no stopping Cilic, who dashed all his hopes by breaking his serve right back and then broke the Swiss again in the seventh game.
He served out the set 6-4 to seal the contest in just one hour and 45 minutes.
2011 US Open: Djokovic's great comeback
Novak Djokovic staged one of the greatest comebacks in tennis as he saved two match-points to roar back from the brink of defeat and beat Roger Federer in a five-set thriller at the 2011 US Open.
Djokovic looked to be heading towards certain defeat when he lost the first two sets but rallied his way back to outclass Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.
It was only then the second time in 184 matches that Federer was beaten after leading by two sets. The only other time was at Wimbledon earlier that year when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga registered a shock 3-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win in the quarter-finals.
The US Open loss ended the Swiss's streak of winning at least one Grand Slam every year since winning the first of his 16 majors in 2003.
2018 Wimbledon: Anderson wins a cliff-hanger
Kevin Anderson produced an astonishing fightback from two sets down to beat eight-time champion Roger Federer 2-6, 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4, 13-11 in a quarter-final cliff-hanger at Wimbledon.
Federer skipped through the opening two sets on Court One with his usual panache, but the big South African turned the match on its head and also register his first win against the Swiss great at the fifth attempt.
The turning point came when eighth-seed Anderson saved a match point in the 10th game of the third set. That point onwards, he grew in confidence against an increasingly-ragged Federer, who started to lose momentum.
Anderson stormed through the third set 6-3 to snap Federer's 34-set winning streak at Wimbledon. Federer was clearly shaken as the South African dominated the fourth set to drag the 20-times Grand Slam champion into a decider.
Six times Anderson was required to hold serve to stay alive and each time he was equal to the task.
Federer eventually cracked under pressure at 11-11, double-faulting to hand Anderson a break point which he converted before sealing the match in the next game.
